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Mini M? [MERGED] AKA X-Vario


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Steve,

 

Whereas I would agree that Olympus used to have great expertise in lens design, I wonder if those folks retired or left during the fallow years of the early noughties. I recently upgraded the standard 14-42 mk1 kit lens on the EP-2 I bought for its VF-2, to the premium range 12-50. This is not a stellar lens. It is a bit soft and with barrel distortion at the wide end and has too much CA at the tele end. I think that Olympus would benefit considerably from Leica's expertise but I question if the current relationship with Panasonic, which has produced some perfectly adequate P&S cameras, would permit it.

 

Wilson

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Fuji have just announced big discounts on the X series cameras including the XE 1. $200 off the body and $300 off their 18-55 zoom if you buy it with a body. So a $500 saving for the combination that may well already out specify the pending Leica launch "Mini M". Perhaps Fuji are launching something new or want to create demand and get more exposure prior to Leica's launch.

 

There's a link from The.me today

 

You could be right. This may have to do with the rumored launch of the smaller X-series ILC - which one might call the "Mini X". This might be quite similar to a "Mini M" but with quite a different price tag (whilst still featuring interchangeable lenses).

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Just to keep this going to Post 1500...:D

The common approach here is from the wrong side. Just imagine this camera as rumoured to be full frame with the 240 sensor. Suddenly we have a compact camera that outperforms the RX1 - but with a zoom and just a few hundred Euro more expensive.

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X1 was the first compact camera with a "big" sensor.

...if you ignore the Sigma...

 

M8 was the first serious digital rangefinder.

 

...because the Epson was frivolous?

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

 

 

Sent from another Galaxy

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Just to keep this going to Post 1500...:D

The common approach here is from the wrong side. Just imagine this camera as rumoured to be full frame with the 240 sensor. Suddenly we have a compact camera that outperforms the RX1 - but with a zoom and just a few hundred Euro more expensive.

 

I don`t think a 240 sensor could really outperform the RX1 sensor. The fixed Zeiss lens is quite good also. It would take a lot for a zoom lens Leica to outperform that. Unless you meant that a zoom is more attractive in a fixed lens combo for most users.

 

But of course a fixed lens zoom full frame Leica would be a lot better than what is described with that strange iPad screen shot. If the size of the zoom is anything like shown in that rumor though, it would not be anything I would want to carry around and use with a big add-on viewfinder. But it may be a camera everyone else is looking for...

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Just to keep this going to Post 1500...:D

The common approach here is from the wrong side. Just imagine this camera as rumoured to be full frame with the 240 sensor. Suddenly we have a compact camera that outperforms the RX1 - but with a zoom and just a few hundred Euro more expensive.

 

It would seem odd to use that high spec sensor and then put this inferior slow speed lens on it ? If the lens is interchangable then would that then not have a poor effect on the M itself. To get the absolute best from the sensor would it really need prime lenses as is the case with the RX 1. I can help but think its going to disappoint a lot of people

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Steve,

I recently upgraded the standard 14-42 mk1 kit lens on the EP-2 I bought for its VF-2, to the premium range 12-50.

 

The 12-50 isn't a premium lens Wilson, it is simply a posh kit lens that has all the features to suit being sold with the OMD, such as weather sealing etc. I have one and it's not bad overall for a kit lens, but it certainly isn't premium. If you want a stellar zoom lens for the E-P2 the Panasonic 12-35mm is the one to have, or choose Olympus primes. For an excellent alternative to the EP-2 kit lens the first version of the Panasonic 14-45, identified with the metal lens mount, is the one to go for.

 

Steve

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I don't for a minute expect an interchangeable-lens full-frame mini-M on June 11th, although I'd love one.

 

But I don't think the reason for this is that it would cannibalise M sales. Its just that they're not ready and don't have such a camera yet. As long as Leica could achieve an acceptable overall profit margin on their costs, why wouldn't they make a camera that, judging from this forum, customers would buy in considerable volume? If anything, it might boost M sales as customers do tend to move up the scale, which is why the prestige car companies want to sell low-margin small cars that do most things as well as the bigger, higher-margin vehicles. They are very effective stepping-stones.

 

Artificially holding themselves back, and opening themselves to aggressive and capable competition in an attempt to protect the current profile of the M-line would be a very short-sighted strategy in my opinion.

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What would make an M mini to the M? With money invested in new sensor and technology and with anew facilities able to make more lenses , lets think what would allow Leica to leverage what it has that's new and not yet fully capitalized. Hmmmmmmm. An M with no optical viewfinder. FF. and interchangeable lens. Take away the OVF and the camera gets smaller. IMHO.

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Just to keep this going to Post 1500...:D

The common approach here is from the wrong side. Just imagine this camera as rumoured to be full frame with the 240 sensor. Suddenly we have a compact camera that outperforms the RX1 - but with a zoom and just a few hundred Euro more expensive.

 

It will have both an inferior sensor and nothing out there is better than the 35mm on the RX1

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...if you ignore the Sigma...

 

 

 

...because the Epson was frivolous?

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

 

 

Sent from another Galaxy

 

Yes, Sigma DP-1 came first, but personally I consider it more a prototype than a general purpose camera. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was never able to see it as a real market competitor, as the DP-x Merrill can be nowadays instead (if you really don't need any middle or high ISO setting).

 

I tried the Epson only once, but I see some difference with the Leica M8. 1,5x crop, no microlenses (or bad design microlenses), probably not the best choice where to put some 2k up to 8k dollars lenses on. But I admit it's absolutely not frivolous, never seen a Paul Smith version of it :)

 

Anyway, I think that recently leica has many times launched models that anticipated some trends.

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Just to keep this going to Post 1500...:D

The common approach here is from the wrong side. Just imagine this camera as rumoured to be full frame with the 240 sensor. Suddenly we have a compact camera that outperforms the RX1 - but with a zoom and just a few hundred Euro more expensive.

 

This makes me wonder... "what can be the aspect of a M that, being "Mini", MUST be a bit smaller than M240, though FF, and with a zoom around 28-70 ?"

 

... and it came to my mind that, without having any SLR... I do have a 28-70... and of course a FF camera a bit smaller than a M... :D

 

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M8 at 640, jpg, Summicron 50 DR

 

Supposed that the speculated 28-70 could be slimmer (f 4 or 4,5, more modern design... and no AF as this) well... it could have a sense.:p

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This makes me wonder... "what can be the aspect of a M that, being "Mini", MUST be a bit smaller than M240, though FF, and with a zoom around 28-70 ?"

 

... and it came to my mind that, without having any SLR... I do have a 28-70... and of course a FF camera a bit smaller than a M... :D

 

[ATTACH]379932[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]379933[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]379934[/ATTACH]

M8 at 640, jpg, Summicron 50 DR

 

Supposed that the speculated 28-70 could be slimmer (f 4 or 4,5, more modern design... and no AF as this) well... it could have a sense.:p

:D:DNice, very nice indeed!

 

Just a small question, why did you not attach the external viewfinder and the external rangefinder??

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Not that simple to make small FF cams for old and new M lenses. Sony, Fuji and others will dare to compete with Leica there hopefully but i don't see anything coming so far.

I always thought 'competition' means competing when in the same league?

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